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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23064517">Vormir: Reimagined</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/fracturedroses/pseuds/fracturedroses'>fracturedroses</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Sacrifice, Steve Rogers Needs a Hug, sad hours</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 07:47:49</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,993</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23064517</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/fracturedroses/pseuds/fracturedroses</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Steve and Natasha are the pair sent to Vormir.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Vormir: Reimagined</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“I’ll tell you what — under completely different circumstances this place would seem peaceful.” Steve muttered, a tone of awe filling his voice as he gazed over the purple planet. With each climbing step, he prepared his arms to catch his company, just in case she were to fall. The terrain was rocky and uneven. Natasha grunted lightly with each step she took. </p><p>“Why were 𝘸𝘦 sent here? Why not New York or Asgard? There are no mountains there. I bet the raccoon didn’t have to climb a mountain.” Natasha responded.</p><p>Steve smiled. “You know he’s not technically a raccoon, right?”</p><p>“Whatever. He eats garbage.”</p><p>A new voice boomed and echoed through the mountain, Steve and Natasha drawing their weapons out at the ready. </p><p>“Welcome.” The mysterious being spoke, coming into the view of the two Avengers. “Natalia, daughter of Ivan. Steven, son of Sarah.” </p><p>Steve felt his face form a small scowl as the man who he hadn’t seen in nearly a hundred years appeared before him — or rather, what was left of him. “You gotta be shitting me.” </p><p>“Ahh, if it’s isn’t Steve Rogers. Captain America.” </p><p>“Red Skull. Are you mad about being shot into space all those years ago?”</p><p>A chuckle. “Water under the bridge.” </p><p>“I’m sorry.” Natasha interrupted. “You two know each other?”  </p><p>“We did. A long time ago.” The Captain responded. “Why are you here?”</p><p>“Think of me not as Red Skull any longer, but as a guide. A guide to you, and to all who seek the Soul Stone.” </p><p>“Oh, good. You tell us where it is. Then we’ll be on our way.”</p><p>“Ah, liebchen— If only it we’re that easy.” </p><p>Natasha and Steve exchanged looks of equal confusion before following the Stonekeeper, who was already on his way up to the top of the cliff. The three came to a halt as they reached the end of the cliff — one more step and any of them would’ve fallen straight over. Steve and Natasha peered over the edge. </p><p>“What you seek lies in front of you...” Red Skull broke the silence. “As does what you fear.”</p><p>Without looking up, Natasha furrowed her brow and spoke back. “The stone is down there?” She questioned. </p><p>“For one of you. For the other... in order to take the stone, you must lose that which you love. An everlasting exchange. A soul for a soul.”</p><p>The pairs’ gaze shifted up to face the other, a knowing (yet shocked) look etched across both of their features. Steve swallowed a lump he felt forming in his throat. Natasha clenched her hand into a fist. The both knew exactly what needed to happen. But they were both in denial.</p><p>————————</p><p>Natasha sat perched upon a log, staring out into nothingness. Time had passed. She didn’t know how long, it could’ve been anywhere between a few minutes and an hour. She was lost in her own thoughts, focused on the situation she had found herself in with Steve. A soft sigh escaped her. She knew that this was something she had to do.</p><p>Steve stood at a distance away from the Stonekeeper whom he had once new before in the same life, although that had been so long ago. It felt like Steve was in a new life. One that, on his own admission, would be coming to an end very shortly. </p><p>At the sound of Natasha’s sigh, Steve turned towards her and approached her slowly, arms folded over his chest. Natasha was resting her arms on her knees. </p><p>“I really wish he’s messing with our heads. Some form of punishment aimed towards me for the things I did to him all those years ago.” Steve broke the silence.</p><p>“He’s not.” Natasha lifted her head to look at the blonde. “Thanos left here with the stone without his daughter. It’s not a coincidence.”</p><p>“I know.” He croaked. “Just living in denial for as long as possible.” Another few moments of silence passed, the only audible noise being the pairs heavy and shaking breaths. “Whatever it takes.”</p><p>“Whatever it takes.”</p><p>Natasha stood from the log and took a few steps towards Steve, who had (in turn) taken a few more steps towards her. </p><p>Natasha’s voice was steady, but sounded as if she was masking a different emotion. “If we don’t get that stone—“</p><p>“Billions of people stay dead.” Steve finished the sentence. He sighed a hefty sigh before continuing on. “I guess we both know who it has to be.”</p><p>“I guess we do.”</p><p>Steve extended his arms and held Natasha’s hands. She reciprocated. Their eyes were locked deep within the others and, somehow, they could hear each other’s hearts break simultaneously. Natasha’s eyes travelled down to her feet. </p><p>“Stop.” Steve demanded, his voice strong. “You’re not doing this.” </p><p>She lifted her head back to look at Steve, her eyes watering ever so slightly — not at the prospect that she might die, but at the thought of leaving Steve. The man who had been by her side for the last decade. The man who had taught her that loving someone or a group of people as much as she did didn’t make her weak. The man who was the best partner she’d ever had. “For the last five years, I’ve been trying to do one thing: get to right here. That’s all it’s been about. Bringing everybody back.” </p><p>“And you’re the only one who didn’t give up hope at all in that time. Even I gave up for a little while. It’s not fair. You should be the one to see this through.” </p><p>“What? You think I want to go free-diving off a cliff? You can do so much more than I can. I’m trying to save your life for the sake of the world, you idiot.” </p><p>“I don’t want you to do that. I know you can do just as much as I can for the world. Hell, you’re the reason we’re on the right track. Besides, I’m a hundred and five years old, Natasha. I’ve lived my life. You deserve to keep living it.” His voice was breaking.</p><p>“Please.” And so was hers. “Let me do this.”</p><p>He hunched over lightly, resting his forehead on her own. They both shut their eyes and enjoyed each other’s company for the last time. “Okay.” Steve spoke, gripping onto her hands tightly. He felt a hot tear run down his cheek before flipping Natasha down to the ground and pinning her with his shield. “I’m sorry. I have to do this.”</p><p>She grunted, wrapping her leg around his back and flipping him around so his body rested on the mountain. He never pushed down with too much pressure. “And I’m sorry that I’m not going to let you do this.” </p><p>Natasha wasn’t dumb, she knew that Steve was a 𝘭𝘰𝘵 stronger than her, and that she couldn’t hold him back by herself. She wouldn’t dare grabbing her gun, she didn’t want to hurt him. Well, at least not 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 much. So she flicked one of her Widow Bites from off of her belt and onto him, hoping it would electrocute him just long enough for her to make it to the end of the cliff. He groaned in pain and watched as she ran towards the edge. He had to stop her somehow. He grabbed his shield which had fallen on the ground next to him and threw it towards the assassin. The metal shield hit her hip with force, causing her to fall to the ground. She turned to face Steve, seeing that he had risen to his feet and was making a run for the edge of the cliff. She stood up as quickly as she could, ignoring the pain that was coming from her side. But by the time she stood, Steve was already at the edge and was about to jump off. She ran towards him, quickly jumping off after him and extending her grappling hook. </p><p>Steve was suspended from the cliff, stuck in the hook which had wrapped around his arm and the top of the cliff. Below him was Natasha, being held by nothing but Steve’s other arm. “Goddamn it, Natasha.” His voice boomed. He tried to hoist her back onto the cliff, but she had forced herself to slip down further. Her wrist ached from being gripped so tightly by the soldier. </p><p>“Let me go. It’s okay.” She gazed up at him, her eyes clouded over with water. </p><p>“No! You’re getting out of this alive! You 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 to!” He yelled back at her, struggling to hang on to both the rock and the spy. </p><p>“Steve...” She spoke, her voice quiet and wispy. Steve shook his head in denial. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨. He blinked the tears away and caught Natasha mouthing her final words to him. “I love you.”</p><p>Natasha kicked the wall, fell out of Steve’s grip and began plummeting to the bottom.</p><p>He called out her name, voice filled with complete anger and pain. He watched as she became smaller and smaller. She was 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘦.</p><p>𝘍𝘦𝘢𝘳. Fear as she’d never felt it before. Nothing surrounding her. No water, no clouds, no pile of pillows to prevent her injuries. Just the cold, hard rock ground that lay seemingly a million feet below. that was the only thing to catch her fall. </p><p>Her heart raced, yet was dormant at the same time. She could see her soul falling out of her body with each passing second. Almost as if her soul and her body were two completely separate beings. Tears streamed from her eyes as Steve became less and less visible. Her last moments dragged on for an eternity, her mind running with thoughts and memories. She couldn’t stop it. </p><p>Then, the strangest thing happened. She hit the bottom of the cliff. But that wasn’t the strange part. The strange part was her eyes were still open and she could see everything. She was completely aware of everything that was happening to her body... yet she couldn’t feel a singular thing. Numbness had filled her body. She saw the planet around her and heard deafening screams from the top of the cliff, but she didn’t feel a damn thing... until she did.</p><p>𝘌𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝑫𝑨𝑹𝑲𝑵𝑬𝑺𝑺. 𝘕𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘢 𝘙𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘤𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘴𝘵.</p><p>——————</p><p>When Steve awoke, he was lying in the middle of a pond of water on the other side of the planet. He sat up, seeing the Vormir cliff in the far distance. In his hand was a rock. Not just any rock, but one that glowed of amber. The Soul Stone. He screamed out in pain. He knew that there was no other way to save everyone, but he wanted Natasha back. He wanted Natasha back more than anything. He hated her for what she did. For sparing Steve’s life in exchange for her own. For falling to the bottom when Steve has begged her not to. He hated her. But, more than anything, he 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 her. </p><p>He hit the ground quickly out of hurt, activating his Quantum Suit and sending him back to the timeline that he came from, soon joined by the others from their own journeys. </p><p>He stared straight ahead in the compound, the sound of the other Avengers’ voices muffled in his mind. He wasn’t paying attention. Maybe this wasn’t real. Maybe this was some sort of lucid dream that he was experiencing and that Nat was safe at the top of the cliff and Steve was on his way to the bottom. But he wasn’t. And she wasn’t safe. She was gone.</p><p>Sudden silence in the room, he felt the stares of the Avengers... the 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 Avengers. “Steve?” Bruce broke the silence. “Where’s Nat?”</p><p>The sound of someone else uttering her name felt like a knife had been driven straight into his heart. The silence from Steve spoke a million words. His gaze shifted down to the stone which was placed in his hands.</p><p>𝘐𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥'𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘮.</p>
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